by Christine | Oct 31, 2014 | Annual Gift Exclusion, Asset Protection, Assets, Conservatorships, Death Tax, Durable Power of Attorney For Finances, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Estates, Gift Tax, Guardianships, High-Net-Worth, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Inheritance, Inheritance Tax, Living Trust, Probate, Trusts, Wills |
Moving to New York to avoid state death taxes? “When your bordering state is telling you, ‘Come on over!’ the pitch is compelling,” McManus says. “If New York has a more welcoming tax scheme, then people will say, ‘Let’s call me a New York resident.’” McManus says...
by Christine | Oct 30, 2014 | Advanced Health Care Directive, Asset Protection, Estate Law, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Estates, Inheritance, Tax Planning, Trusts, Wills |
The important point to keep in mind is that DIY estate planning provides forms and not legal advice. An attorney may provide you insights into your situation and prepare documents that are specifically tailored to your circumstances and needs, potentially saving your...
by Christine | Oct 29, 2014 | Asset Protection, Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Estates, Power of Attorney, Trusts, Wills |
Even though many gifts no longer make tax sense, 529 plans remain viable options for both estate tax exclusion and income tax reduction, without much complexity and cost. Which gifts make sense for taxes these days? Consider your options. Before recent changes to the...
by Christine | Oct 28, 2014 | Advanced Health Care Directive, Conservatorships, Durable Power of Attorney For Finances, Estates, Living Trust, Medical Directives, Power of Attorney, Probate, Trusts, Wills |
The online forms you come across may or may not work. These forms tend to not be state specific which means your will may or may not be valid. If you are going to take the time to draft a will or any other estate planning document (which you should), you definitely...
by Christine | Oct 27, 2014 | Advanced Health Care Directive, Asset Protection, Conservatorships, Durable Power of Attorney For Finances, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Estates, Inheritance, Trusts, Wills |
Thanksgiving weekend is a time to reflect, visit family, and of course, eat your fair share of pie. And while we may be thankful for the people and the wealth in our lives, not enough of us have planned to protect all that we have. Pass the pie please! And not just...
by Christine | Oct 24, 2014 | Asset Protection, Bankruptcy, Bequest, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Inheritance, Inherited IRAs, IRA Rollover, Irrevocable Trust, Living Trust, Probate, Trusts, Wills |
As a result, financial advisers and families are taking steps to shield IRA assets for children and other beneficiaries in case those heirs ever find themselves in bankruptcy proceedings. Is your IRA protected from creditors in the event of bankruptcy? Not anymore....
by Christine | Oct 23, 2014 | Advanced Health Care Directive, Asset Protection, Assisted Living Facility, Conservatorships, Dementia, DNR, Durable Power of Attorney For Finances, Elder Care, Elder Law, Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Estates, Healthcare, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT), Irrevocable Trust, Living Trust, Living Will, Long Term Care, Long Term Care Insurance, Medi-Cal Long Term Care, Medical Directives, Nursing Homes, Obama, Power of Attorney, Social Security, Trusts |
Medical research confirms one of the first things people have trouble with in the very early stages of dementia is managing personal finances. This means people can make very expensive financial mistakes, often before anyone notices there is a problem. I have seen...
by Christine | Oct 20, 2014 | Estate Planning, Estates, Guardianships, Inheritance, Power of Attorney, Probate, Trusts, Wills |
If you want to stay in control of your money and medical decisions until the end, here are the five most important estate-planning documents you need to have. If you aren't sure which estate planning tools you really need, at least start with the basics. A...
by Christine | Oct 17, 2014 | Elder Abuse, Elder Law, Long Term Care, Retirement Planning |
The woman Benny claims took advantage of him was his second wife. He says after he had a stroke, she threw him in a nursing home and never saw him again. At one time, World War II veteran Benny Goo was very affluent with a gorgeous home in Hawaii. Now, Benny has...
by Christine | Oct 14, 2014 | Conservatorships, Elder Law, Estate Plan, Estate Planning, Family Meeting, Living Will, Power of Attorney, Probate, Trusts |
Talking to family members about estate planning and legacies can be difficult and even painful. Those discussions, however, will almost certainly be less painful in the long run than the stories children may make up after parents are gone about why they made the...
